The sudden chilliness made Su Luo shiver, bringing her to her senses.
In her past life, because of her crude South Border upbringing and her reputation for being foolish and arrogant, she hadn't had any suitors even at the age of sixteen. One day, upset after being ridiculed again by some young ladies, she had angrily run out of the house. coincidentally, she came across a local ruffian kidnapping a girl.
Moved by a sense of justice, she tried to help, but didn't anticipate that she was stepping into a trap. Seeing her beauty, the gang wanted to instead seize her.
Just as things were becoming critical, a man came to her rescue. He was tall and slender, and his nobility was as pure as mountain snow. As he helped her up, she managed to knock him out when he wasn't looking, and took him back to her house.
Little did she know, this man was the Princely Heir of the Duke of Qi Residence. This Heir was frail and as fragile as a candle in the wind. After waking up and finding himself in the same bed as Su Luo, he was so shocked he coughed up blood and fainted. The Imperial Physician diagnosed him as having only a few days left to live. Outraged, the Duke of Qi Residence pleaded with the Empress to force a wedding between them.
In essence, knowing that their heir was not long for this world, they wanted the perpetrator, Su Luo, to carry the burden of widowhood along with them.
And now, she found herself reborn at this very moment.
While she was distracted, the man's hand started to reach for her underclothes.
Startled, Su Luo sat upright and shoved away the man on top of her, yelling: "What are you doing?"
The man coughed a few times, his face flushed. He lazily lifted his eyelids to look at her, his languid tone laced with frivolity: "What do you think I want? Tonight is our wedding night, we should be doing what's supposed to be done!"
Su Luo eyed him warily, hugging the quilt and shifting away.
The man covered his mouth as he coughed again. His lips were red, his teeth white against them, his cheeks flushed, and his smoke-veiled eyes were as cold as ice: "You've shown me gratitude with enmity, smeared my reputation, and schemed to marry me. Why such modesty now? Or is this your version of playing the game of accepting yet refusing?"
Shrinking back further into the quilt, Su Luo had to admit that she wasn't being all that fair in this situation, but she didn't want to lose her virginity as soon as she was reborn!
Perhaps because of her sincere expression of guarding herself, the man looked her up and down, then suddenly leaned in closer with a grin on his handsome face.
His usually austere face was now as enchanting as a blooming flower in spring, swaying with a bewitching aroma, and even his deep, seductive eyes radiated a subtle laughter.
His hot breath brushed over Su Luo's head, emitting a strong hormonal scent wrapped in the smell of medicine, causing her face to flush and her heart to pound.
His face got even closer.
Su Luo tightly gripped the quilt as she eyed Jiang Shu intently. Just as they were about to engage in an intimate contact, Jiang Shu's eyebrows furrowed, his heartbeat quickening before he fainted on the spot.
Su Luo finally exhaled the breath she had been holding.
Thankfully she hadn't forgotten her past life training as a Miaojiang "witch," and instead of dried herbs and grass, she had various types of medicine in her sachet.
Fortunately, this man was so sickly that even the modest amount of sleeping powder she had mixed into the candle was enough to knock him out.
She huffed and puffed as she arranged Jiang Shu properly on the bed.
In her past life, her married life with Jiang Shu had lasted a mere half a day, and his face had long since blurred in her memory. Now, looking at his sleeping face, Su Luo was taken aback.
His skin was as white as fine porcelain; his lips were pale, and his sickly form was charming. As his earlier coughing episode tinted his phoenix eyes and their surroundings a delicate, smoky red, he looked both coquettish and refined.
No wonder she had been spellbound at first sight in her past life and had wedded him. He was a real heartbreaker.
While she was lost in thoughts, the door was suddenly pushed open. The maid, Qing Yi, rushed in with a dagger in her hand, shouting, "Lady, Lady, I've found the weapon!"
Qing Yi arrived at the side of the bed and noticed Su Luo out of breath and undressing the man's clothes.
Qing Yi was stunned, she swallowed hard: "La..Lady, are you really going to do this? Although the Princely Heir is handsome, the Madam's orders were to kill him if he wakes. This will secure your footing in the future. But if he's still unconscious, shouldn't you wait a while? You mustn't rush this, Lady!"
Su Luo glared at her: "Stop with your nonsense, help him undress!"
Qing Yi's face turned red, stammering: "La... Lady, this really isn't appropriate, are you planning to take advantage, force him while he's faint? What if you end up killing him? Look at his thin arms and legs, I fear he won't be able to withstand your... exercise!"